Utopias: A Brief History from Ancient Writings to Virtual Communities

This brief history connects the past and present of utopian
thought, from the first utopias in ancient Greece, right up to
present day visions of cyberspace communities and paradise.

Explores the purpose of utopias, what they reveal about the
societies who conceive them, and how utopias have changed over the
centuries

Unique in including both non-Western and Western visions of
utopia

Explores the many forms utopias have taken – prophecies
and oratory, writings, political movements, world's fairs, physical
communities – and also discusses high-tech and cyberspace
visions for the first time

The first book to analyze the implicitly utopian dimensions of
reform crusades like Technocracy of the 1930s and Modernization
Theory of the 1950s, and the laptop classroom initiatives of recent
years

Howard P. Segal is Bird Professor of History at the
University of Maine, where he has taught since 1986. He received
his M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. His previous books
include Technological Utopianism in American Culture
(1985), Future Imperfect:The Mixed Blessings of
Technology in America (1994), Technology in America: A Brief
History (1989, 1999, with Alan Marcus), and Recasting the
Machine Age: Henry Ford's Village Industries (2005). He also
reviews for, among other publications, Nature and the Times Higher
Education.

"Segal does not shy away from bold definitions and delineations to separate utopias from millenarianism and science fiction, from abstract utopias and daydreams. ...Utopias is an accessible and thought-provoking introduction to utopias and utopianism and will appeal to scholars, students, and the general reader alike." (Utopian Studies, 1 October 2015)

"In the capable hands of Howard P. Segal, professor of history at the University of Maine, technology rightfully has an important role in the imagination of alternative societies. His concise, well-written book covers utopias ancient and modern, Western and non-Western, and it is not limited to fiction conventionally labeled utopian but includes world’s fairs, social science, digital media, prophecies, millennial movements, and science fiction." (Technology and Culture, 1 October 2015)

“To conclude: Segal’s book on utopias is a well-made treatise on an important aspect of European and American history. He convincingly shows that utopias had a political, as well as an economic, relevance. The view on the interaction between different cultural systems, such as art, politics, religion, technology, and economics, is a great strength of the book. It shows how complex processes around utopian visions have been, and how relevant they are for the implementation and change of different cultural spheres.” (Religion, 30 May 2015)

“This text provides a unique approach for teaching history and the history of science. Highly recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates and above. (Choice, 1 February 2013)

"A 'near perfect' account of utopias and utopian thinking of the
past, present, and future. Historian Howard Segal revisits utopian
ideologies revealing their perennial appeal, their use and misuse
of technology, and their considerable power to reshape society,
then and now."
—James Rodger Fleming, Colby College

"An expansive, entertaining and provocative introduction to
utopianism and its practitioners ... Utopias captures both the
whimsical extravagance as well as the earnestness of attempts
(western as well as non-western) to imagine better futures and then
actually create better societies across the ages ... [It] is bound
to stimulate thought on the subject, and will appeal to a wide
readership."
—Greg Claeys, University of London

"Segal offers a focus on 'western' expressions of utopianism
while devoting substantial space to diversity. Hence we find the
expected discussions of literature from More to Bellamy and Wells
and beyond ... but there are also interesting examinations of
utopias from China, Japan, India, and Latin America; and
subsections on World's Fairs, professional forecasters, cyberspace,
Megaprojects, social media, E-books, and George Lucas's
Edutopia."
—Kenneth M. Roemer, University of Texas at
Arlington

"The potential for good of science and technology, and their
manifest dangers and pitfalls, are vividly evoked by Segal in his
accessible account of utopias past and present. This is a work of
insight and reflection."
—Barbara Goodwin, University of East Anglia

Digital version available through Wiley Online Library

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